Contact clip



Dec. 26, 1933. J DOHRWARDT 1,940,942

CONTACT CLIP Filed March 12, 1929 Patented Dec. 26, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTACT CLIP Application March 12,

15 Claims.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in contact clips for expulsion fuses and the like.

As is well known, the body of fuses of this type consists of a tube usually formed of fiber or other like insulating material, which after having been in service for a while becomes warped, and if the contact clips with which its terminals are engaged are fixed, an imperfect electrical connecti n between the terminals and clips results. This is very undesirable, and therefore it is an object of this invention to provide an improved contact clip for fuses and the like which is freely movable to accommodate any misalignment between the terminals of the fuse.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the herein disclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated two complete examples of the physical embodiment of my invention constructed according to the best modes I have so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of a conventional expulsion fuse and its mounting with parts broken away and in section, the fuse being shown in dotted lines;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view taken through Figure 1 on the plane of the line 2--2;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the elements comprising the contact clip shown disassembled; and

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 illustrating a slightly modified form of my invention.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing, in which like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the numeral 5 represents the housing of a conventional expulsion fuse, which is preferably formed of porcelain or the like and has its open front closed by a cover 6 hingedly connected with the housing, as at 7, the cover having suitable means for carrying the fuse proper illustrated in dotted lines, as at 8.

The fuse 8 is of conventional design and consists of a tube 9 having contact terminals 10 and 11 mounted thereon in spaced relation with which the ends of the fuse element, not shown, are

1929. Serial No. 346,340

electrically connected in the usual manner. As the door 6 is closed, the contact terminals 10 and 11 are-engaged with contact clips 12 and 13, respectively, secured in the housing 5 in a novel manner. Each contact clip consists of a substantially U shaped member 14 formed of suitable spring metal and strengthened by a second correspondingly shaped member 15 likewise formed of spring metal and having the outer ends of its arms engaging the arms of the first member to reinforce the spring tension thereof.

The adjacent closed ends 16 and 17 of the members 14 and 15, respectively, are provided with aligned apertures 18 through which screws 19 or the like pass to mount the members, which comprise the clip proper, on the webs 20 of terminal members 21.

The terminal members 21 which have conventional means for securing the ends of conductor wires, prior to having their clip members 14 and 15 assembled therewith have their webs 20 passed through slots 22 formed in laterally directed projections 23 extended from the top edge of attaching flanges 24 formed on anchor members 25. The slots 22 through which the Webs 20 extend are sufliciently large to permit substantially universal movement of the terminal members 21 with respect to their respective anchor members and after the clip members 14 and 15 are assembled with the terminal members it will be readily apparent that detachment of the terminal members from their anchor members is prevented.

The anchor members 25 are fixed to the housing by having their studs 26 cemented in apertures 27 formed in the back of the housing and have the lower ends of their flanges 24 projected laterally, as at 28, and provided with central upturned lips 29, to limit the outward movement of the assembled clip members and their terminal member. Thus it will be seen that the clips are freely movable to adjust themselves to any mis alignment of the fuse contact terminals.

In the modification illustrated in Figure 4, the terminal member 21 has its web 20 extended at each side, as at 30, to be received in aligned vertical slots 31 formed in lateral flanges 32 struck outwardly from a member 33. The slots 31 like the slots 22 in the modification illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, are sufficiently large to permit a limited substantially universal movement of the terminal member with respect to the member 33.

A screw, not shown, passed through an aperture 34. Secures the member 33 to a conventional anchor member. The member 21 in this instance is assembled with the member 33 by first passing one of its projections 30 through its respective slot 31, moving the same toward that side, and then inserting the other projection 30 in its respective slot 31, the over-all width of the web 20 being substantially that of the over-all width of the member 33, and the assembly of the clip members 14 and 15 with the web in the manner described in connection with the preferred embodiment of the invention, preventing the member 21 from being moved in either sidewise direction a distance sufiicient to permit detachment thereof from the member 33.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which an invention of the character described appertains, that I provide an improved construction for contact clips for use with fuses and the like which accommodates any misalignment between the contact terminals of the fuse, and which is of such construction as to be economically manufactured and quickly assembled.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a contact clip comprising a fixed member having a slot and an overhanging ledge, a terminal member having a portion passed through said slot and engaged with said ledge, and a clip member carried by said portion and positioned so as to be engageable with the slotted portion of the fixed member and thereby prevent detachment of the terminal member from the fixed member while enabling free movement of the clip member.

2. In a device of the character described, a contact clip comprising a fixed member having a slotted portion, a terminal member having a part passed through said slot, a clip member carried by the terminal member part passed through the slot, securing of the clip member to the terminal member part preventing retraction of the terminal member part through the slot, but permitting substantially universal movement of the terminal and clip members, and a lip extended from the fixed member and overlying the terminal part passed through the slot to limit the movement thereof.

3. In a device of the character described, means for freely movably mounting a contact clip and comprising a fixed member, a projection extended from one edge of the fixed member and having a slot therethrough, a terminal member, a web carried by the terminal member and loosely passed through said slot, a clip member fixed to the web and preventing retraction of the web through the slot, and a lip extended from the fixed member and engageable with the clip member to limit the movement of it and the terminal member.

4. In combination with a device having a fixed contact terminal, of a mounting clip adapted to receive the contact terminal and means for supporting the mounting clip and comprising a fixed member, a projection extending from said fixed member and having a slot therethrough, a terminal member, a web extended from the terminal member and loosely passed through the slot, the terminal member being impassable through the slot, whereby the terminal member prevents disengagement of the web from the slot in one direction, means connecting the mounting clip with the web whereby the clip prevents disengagement of the web from the slot in the other direction while permitting the clip to adjust itself to the fuse carried contact terminal engaged therewith.

5. In a device of the character described, a fixed member, a lateral projection extended from the fixed member and having a slot therethrough, a terminal member, a web carried by the terminal member and loosely passed through the slot, the terminal member being impassable through the slot, whereby the terminal member prevents disengagement of the web from the slotted projection in one direction, a contact clip, and means securing the contact clip to the web whereby retraction of the web from the slotted projection is prevented and the assembled terminal member and contact clip is loosely held assembled with the fixed member.

6. In a device of the character described, a contact clip comprising a fixed member having a slot, a terminal member having an enlarged wire receiving portion and a web portion passed through said slot 2. distance limited by the engagement of the enlarged wire receiving portion with the slotted member, and a clip member carried by said web portion whereby detachment of the terminal member from the fixed member is prevented, and the clip member is slidably mounted on the fixed member.

7. In a device of the character described, a contact clip comprising a fixed member having a pair of aligned slots, a terminal member having a portion engageable in said slots, a clip member carried by said terminal member intermediate said slots to retain said terminal member assembled on said fixed member and to permit limited movement of the clip relative to the fixed member.

8. In a device of the character described, a contact clip comprising a .fixed member having a pair of aligned slots therein, a terminal member, means on said terminal member to receive a wire, said terminal member being loosely receivable in said slots, a clip member detachably fastened on said terminal member to permit substantially universal movement of said terminal member with respect to said fixed member and to maintain said terminal member assembled with said fixed member.

9. In a device of the character described, a contact clip comprising a fixed member having a pair of aligned openings, a movable member having spaced portions engaged in said openings, and a clip member carried by said movable member intermediate the openings to retain said movable member assembled with the fixed member while permitting limited movement of the clip member relative to the fixed member.

10. In a device of the character described, a contact clip comprising a fixed member having a pair of aligned slots therein, a clip mounting member, means on said clip mounting member to receive a wire, said clip mounting member being loosely received in said slots, a U shaped clip member detachably fastened on said clip mounting member so as to be movable therewith with respect to the fixed member while maintaining said clip mounting member against disassembly from the fixed member..

11. A device of the character described, comprising a fixed member having spaced walls and means to secure the member to a support,a movable member having a part loosely received in an opening in one of said walls, means on the other of said walls engaged with said movable member and cooperating with the engagement of the movable member part in the opening to movably connect said fixed and movable members, and a terminal receiving clip detachably but rigidly secured to said movable member to be movable therewith, said clip being disposed between the spaced walls and engageable therewith to retain the movable and fixed members assembled.

12. A device of the character described, comprising a fixed member having spaced walls, a movable member having a part extending across the space between said walls and loosely connected with each, assembly and disassembly of the movable member with the spaced walls requiring a predetermined relative movement between said fixed and movable members, a clip having spaced arms to clasp a terminal, and means to secure said clip to said movable member part between the spaced walls to be engageable with said walls and thereby limit the relative movement between said members to less than that required for disassembly while permitting a substantial degree of free movement of the con nected movable member and clip with respect to the fixed member.

13. A device of the character described, comprising a fixed member having a pair of spaced aligned openings, a movable member extending across the space between said openings and having opposite portions loosely received in the openings, said movable member being disengageable from said openings upon a predetermined movement of the movable member with respect to the fixed member, a clip having spaced arms to grip a terminal, and means to secure the clip to said movable member between said openings and engageable with parts of the fixed member to limit the possible movement of the assembled movable member and clip with respect to the fixed member to less than that required for disassembly.

14. A device of the character described, comprising a fixed member having spaced walls provided with aligned openings, a movable member having opposite portions loosely received in said openings, engagement and disengagement of the movable member from the openings requiring a predetermined relative movement between the fixed and movable members, a clip having spaced arms to grip a terminal, and means to secure the clip to the movable member between the spaced walls so as to be engageable with the spaced walls to limit the movement of the assembled movable member and clip to less than that required for disassembly.

15. A device of the character described, comprising a fixed member having spaced walls provided with aligned openings, a movable member having opposite portions loosely received in said openings, engagement and disengagement of the movable member from the openings requiring a predetermined relative movement between the fixed and movable members, a clip having spaced arms to grip a terminal, means to secure the clip to the movable member between the spaced walls so as to be engageable with the spaced walls to limit the movement of the assembled movable member and clip to less than that required for disassembly, and a wire receiving element carried by the movable member.

JOHN F. DOHRWARDT. 

